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02 March, 2015

Why Y Not Festival is going to be incredible

There are a lot of UK and European festivals over the summer months, and a lot of them are known for having outstanding line ups and always providing music lovers with a good time. From festival giants such as Glastonbury, all the way down to the small ones like 2000 Trees, it can be hard to decide what festival you and your mates want to hit up. If it were up to me, I would send you all to the middle of a field in Derbyshire to go to Y Not Festival, a small and buzzing festival that labels itself to be 'Small, Fresh and Loud' - three words that I would most certainly back.

As you emerge from the forest you open up onto a large field with the flags of Y Not in the near distance. That's when things start to get exciting. You will realise straight away that all the stewards and security at the festival are lovely, and since they don't have to deal with the sheer number of people that go to the larger festivals the seem to more friendly and talkative. Once you have got past the annoying stage of setting your tent up you can explore the festival grounds.

There is a lot you can do - from bumper cars and juggling to sitting on large pillows and rugs in a chilled and intimate bar watching some acoustic acts. The food is great and there is a huge variety.

The arena is set out in two. There is the area that has main stage in, and then you cross a path to get to the other stages. Main stage is a stage that looks big, but feels intimate. You can get really close to the artists and get really involved in the atmosphere, unlike large festivals who have a massive photo and security pit in front of the stage. Y Not seem to be really great at booking bands too. Most bands you watch on their main stage will end up being pretty big in the future. For example, in 2014 Catfish and the Bottlemen played Y Not and now they have two sold out nights at Brixton!

The other stages are more intimate but hold just as much atmosphere, possibly even more. The tents are a great way of watching bands - the sound is perfect and it won't get too muddy in the rain... Though when at Y Not, the rain isn't an issue because you can just run about in it like these guys below.

Let's talk about the bands already announced for 2015...

Y Not is 10 years old this year, and they are having one huge party to celebrate. Already announced is none other than Snoop Dogg (SNOOP DOGG!), Primal Scream and Basement Jaxx, along with Nick Mulvey, Saint Raymond, Rae Morris, Pulled Apart By Horses, We Are The Ocean, Slaves, Gengahr, Honeyblood, Allusondrugs and more. Obviously within the next few months a lot more acts will be announced, making the already great line up even better.

So with all that said, you would be pretty mad not to go to Y Not, right? Oh, the tickets are also far cheaper than a lot of festivals and are currently at £94. Bargain.

See you there?

- Nathan (@nxths)

All photos by Nathan McLaren-Stewart for It's All Indie. Taken at Y Not Festival 2014.